Blah
by BObunnyX
Summary: Superstuck AU plus some Strider fluff.
1. Superstuck AU

Surrounded by burning flames and choking smog wasn't the best place to stand and reconsider your life, but that's where I found myself. Surrounded by burning flames and choking smog reconsidering my life.

My name is Jake English, at the moment. The day before I had been General Terror, but today I decided to give GT a rest. That and I needed to run some errands. But now I stood in the remains of my father's, Lord English, latest plight. I gagged slightly at the foul smell of things burning. The fire still burnt brightly after who knows how much time had passed.

I started to slowly walk forward, feeling as if I were in some kind of trance. My shoes kicking up and scattering ashes with every step. I enjoyed being evil and reveled in every sinister plot, but something about this… wasn't right. This was… wrong. Terribly wrong.

_Squeak_. I looked down, lifting up my foot in surprise. A cloth rabbit, half buried in soot, stared up at me with one button eye. The other eye was gone. I reached down and unearthed the toy, brushing the dirt and grime out of its fur. A yell startled me, making me nearly drop the bunny. I quickly looked around to find the source of the sound.

My eyes fell on a small form some distance away. I fast walked, almost ran, towards the form. When I pulled up to her I felt my stomach pitch and bile rise to the back of my throat. The small form was a young girl. She laid there forlorn, a lot like the toy still clenched in my hand had. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She flinched when I approached her. Without thinking, I held out the rabbit to her. She watched every movement I made warily and somewhat fearfully. After several moments she gently took the rabbit from my grasp. She smiled weakly at me as she clutched the toy tightly to her chest.

Then I noticed her leg. It was twisted and deformed. I winced. This girl wouldn't be able to go any where with her leg like that. I couldn't… just leave… her here… like this. Carefully, I pulled the girl into my arms. I held her like a baby, cradled in my arms. Her head dropped weakly, resting against my chest.

I carried her. Through the ashes and towards the street. Pedestrians crowded by, as close as the police allowed them. They craned their necks and squinted their eyes, eager to see what had happened. A large number of them where crying. Family members, friends, lovers, close acquaintances were now forever lost.

The crowd grew excited when they saw me walk up. I pushed past them. "Excuse me," I said, softly, barely audible "But who does this child belong-?" A mother shoved through the mob, rushing up to me. Her eyes were red, puffy, and shiny, but she was smiling.

"My baby, my baby, my baby!" she called out, ecstatically. The child shifted weakly in my arms, holding out her hands to the women. The women carefully scooped the injured kid out of my arms. She pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she wailed.

When she pulled away there were tears freely falling down her face. "You're my hero," she said, with such conviction. I felt an unpleasant jolt travel down my spine. Hero? I wasn't a hero. Then just like that, they where gone. Leaving me there alone, except I wasn't alone.

I unclenched my fists, not realizing that I had been clenching fists in the first place. Then, just to top off this perfect setup, Tailor Bird made his appearance. Except he wasn't Tailor Bird, he was Dirk Strider. I glared up him accusingly. He didn't say anything, for once.

And yet it was that silence from my nemesis that finally broke me. I started crying. Suddenly I was engulfed in warmth. Dirk was hugging me. Instead of pushing him away, I buried my face into his shoulder.

My name is Jake English and everything is totally fucked up right now, and no matter how many times I tell myself everything will go back to normal tomorrow I know that's a lie. Because no matter how good things appear on the surface, there will always be a hint of doubt, deep, deep down.


	2. Strider Fluff

Striders, the epitome of cool. Sunglasses always firmly in place, facial expressions always firmly in check, emotions always firmly in stock, and attitudes- indifferent, uncaring, and cool to the point of ice. Not just the pretty, celestial icicles that hang from rooftops either, when I say ice I _mean_ ice. Thick, great sheets that stretch endlessly in all directions. Yet sometimes it's difficult to remember, underneath the slates of frozen, iron armor is a human.

Bro Strider was a well known young man with precious few friends( if you could call his friends _friends) _and a reputation that curled hair on the baddest of the bad. He was untouchable. That is until Dave came into the equation.

Dave Strider, the chubbiest baby Bro had ever seen. Bro immediately took it upon himself to raise the apparent orphan. And suddenly, as soon as he placed a pair of triangular anime shades on the baby, Bro regained his humanity. He no longer had only himself to look after, but this small, helpless child.

This small, helpless, _clingy _child. Everywhere Bro went, Dave was there, clutched tightly to his forearm or fingers entwined in his hair. At first Bro found this habit of Dave's irritating and tried to get him to stop. After a while Bro gave in and let the kid cling to him tightly with his weak, little baby arms. When Dave became tired, Bro cradled him in his arms.

Bro, used to staying up at late hours of the night, found out the difference between a voluntary loss of sleep and an_ in_voluntary loss of sleep. Neighboring tenants complained about Dave's loud wails that resounded through the thin walls. Some even came to make check-ups on Dave, though they never said it out loud Bro knew it was because they thought he was beating the child.

But babies did not stay babies forever. Dave grew at, in Bro's eyes, an alarming rate. Eventually he could walk and talk, and it wasn't too long before Bro would have to enlist him to a school.

When Dave finally started school, Bro didn't know what to do with the free time that had suddenly opened up to him while Dave was at school. Then when Dave returned home he always had a long and lengthy story to tell. Even though he was extremely young, Dave had a peculiar knack for story telling. He could stretch a simple sentence into a long, winding paragraph. His talent grew all the more worse when he finally learned how to write and read.

After Dave's first year of school, Bro figured it was time to teach him the art of music. Dave picked up ill-beats and sick rhythms easily, they came to him like second nature and Dave seemed to really enjoy the music. Unfortunately, Dave began practicing late at night.

When Bro got onto Dave for this, Dave complained that he couldn't sleep. So Bro took Dave out for a late night drive, stopping at several key places, in hopes of tiring the kid out. It worked. Dave curled up in the back of Bro's ancient pick-up and fell asleep.

Bro tried to pick Dave up so that he could carry him back up to the apartment,but Dave swatted him away irritably . Even though Bro could've easily overpower the child, he didn't. Instead he wrapped up Dave into his arms to share his body heat with the child and slept there with him. Nightly drives became a regular occurrence for the insomniac.

When Bro wasn't home, for whatever reason, and Dave still couldn't sleep, he would sneak down with blankets and pillows and make himself a pallet in the back of the truck then go to sleep. The first time Dave did this he went for an unfortunate, unplanned ride. Bro started checking the back of the car before going anywhere.

Next thing Bro taught Dave after music was how to strife. Strifing did not come to Dave as naturally as music did, but Dave persisted, doing his best to learn. He practiced hand-to-hand combat until he grew strong enough to finally lift a sword. The car had became his comfort place, the roof became the car's next-to-equal opposite.

Dave continued to grow. He became a better musician, somewhat better strifer, started getting an interest in making comics, and met John, Rose, and Jade. Those three became Dave's best friends, soon he spent most every waking moment talking to them. Dave was growing and deciding that he was smothering the young teen, Bro returned( for the most part) to his old schedule. Every now and again he checked up on Dave, if only to shove puppet ass in his face or strife. Bro didn't know it, but Dave looked forward to his Bro's visits.

Then, on his thirteenth birthday, a new pair of shades was delivered to Dave from one of his internet pals. He quickly swapped out his pointy, triangle shades for aviators. Bro felt strangely sad, as if new shades symbolized that Dave was growing up and would no longer need his older bro. But Bro soon learned that his worries were mis-calculated, as Dave continued to sleep in the back of his car and follow him around like a puppy whenever he visited.

When fifteen finally approached, Bro began to teach Dave the fine art of driving. Which meant Bro taught Dave to completely ignore the rules of the road. How Dave passed his driving test when he turned sixteen would never be known. Bro gave his old pick-up to Dave as a first car/ birthday present. Dave happily and proudly drove the ancient car around and slept soundly in the back on insomniactic nights.

As an added surprise to Dave's sweet sixteen, Bro called in Jade, Rose, and John down to Texas. Even though Dave kept his apathetic facade up, Bro saw right through it to the over-elated child underneath. Dave wasted no time showing them the town, dragging his three friends to all the hottest spots. While Dave was never one for staying up late( he tried to once, but ended up passed out on a smuppet pile), with insomniac nights as his exception( though he fell asleep rather quickly once he curled up in the back of the car), Dave did not return with his friends till after 5 the next morning. A week later John, Jade, and Rose went to the airport to return home. Dave hid his grief well.

That night Bro slept with Dave in the back of the car for the second time. Bro didn't sleep with Dave in the back of the car again until two years later. Dave's last night before he went off to collage. They spent the day like any other day, both of them stoic and cool, but when night fell Dave's eyes grew watery. Instead of teasing the little shit Bro turned a blind eye. Dave asked if Bro would sleep with him. He agreed.

The night was warm, the air thick and syrupy. Dave passed out almost immediately, but Bro stayed awake and watched the stars. Even though Dave was asleep Bro turned his head, hiding his unshed tears.


End file.
